Produced and directed by non-resident Indian Pamela Rooks, the film, after many a hiccup, including a runway battle with Indian censors, was premiered at London's famous Bloomsbury theatre.

Rooks, herself one of the countless victims of the human tragedy that overtook a whole generation in undivided Punjab, declared, "it is my most satisfying nights after a long ordeal" even though the show happened to be just a charity.

Rooks, whose mother was sikh and father a Hindu and had to migrate out of western Punjab, now in Pakistan, is still looking for distribution rights in the United Kingdom as well as in India for the film, made in `Punjabi and Hindi' dialect with English sub-titles.

The 180-minute film, a shorter versionof which was shown here by channel four last year, was launched in the presence of Kushwant Singh, eminent film and stable personalities and European and Indian film critics, with its director Rooks and Kushwant Singh declaring, "an epic tragedy has been brought to life with lessons for us all".

Rooks and Kushwant Singh said the entire film had been shot at a village in Punjab, near the border, over a period of six months. "We did not feel the need to do any shooting in Pakistan so we did not approach the authorities there." "The film has off and on been a subject of interest of many big producers including those from hollywood. However, first it was the wars in 1965 and 1971, which stalled it and later bureaucratic bunglings came in the way," Singh told the audience after the screening of the film.

The first half of the film, which is a buildup stage, is lively with characters depicting roles of how Hindu, Muslims and Sikh neighbours lived in harmony over generations and generations and in the second, itbecomes intense with scenes of senseless carnage, which partition brings in its wake.

However, the best of the film lies in acts of honour, brotherhood shown by individual characters both Muslims and Sikhs and Hindus who show courage in adversity, by coming to help of their old neighbours, even in testing times. Rooks said she felt the launch of film when parts of India were gripped by `proxy war' could definitely have some lessons for people who believed in violence and bloodshed. The film has an impressive cast of stage, television and film artists.

Rooks said the film already has had three screenings at recent London film festival, where another movie on Mohammad Ali Jinah was also screened, with good response from critics.

"We are now looking for distribution rights in the United Kingdom as well as in India," she said, adding after that they would approach the television in India for screening.

On the battle with censors, which last year held up the film release in India, Rooks said censor boardhad ordered 38 cuts in the film. "We took this to a tribunal which slashed 38 cuts to just one and half. The essence of the film has been retained."

The charity show here was minus the censors scissors and a mature audience, rose up to it. She said in India the film would be released with an adult certification. "The delay in release dates cost the cinema hall booking in which producer and distributors lost heavily".

Asked whether she had kept the spirit of the Kushwant Singh's novel, the producer said, "it is my version."

Rooks concluded by saying that the whole team was now "awaiting for a cinema to release the film commercially both in the United Kingdom and in India".